Yoon Suk Yeol facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Yoon Suk Yeol
Official portrait, 2022
13th President of South Korea
In office 10 May 2022 – 4 April 2025
Prime Minister	Kim Boo-kyum Choo Kyung-ho (acting) Han Duck-soo Choi Sang-mok (acting) Han Duck-soo
Preceded by	Moon Jae-in
Succeeded by	Han Duck-soo (acting) Lee Jae Myung
Prosecutor General of South Korea
In office 25 July 2019 – 4 March 2021
President	Moon Jae-in
Preceded by	Mun Mu-il
Succeeded by	Kim Oh-soo
Personal details
Born	(1960-12-18) 18 December 1960 (age 64) Seoul, South Korea
Political party	Independent (before 2021; since 2025)
Other political affiliations	Chungam Faction (since 2022) People Power (2021–2025)
Spouse	Kim Keon Hee ​ (m. 2012)​
Parent	Yoon Ki Joong (father)
Education	Seoul National University (LLB, LLM)
Profession	Lawyer
Signature
Korean name
Hangul	윤석열
Hanja	尹錫悅
RR	Yun Seokyeol
MR	Yun Sŏgyŏl

Yoon Suk Yeol (Hangul: 윤석열) was born on December 18, 1960. He is a South Korean politician and former lawyer who was the 13th president of South Korea. He served from 2022 until he was removed from office in 2025. Before becoming president, he was South Korea's top prosecutor from 2019 to 2021.

Yoon was born in Seoul and studied law at Seoul National University. As a prosecutor, he became known for leading important investigations into corruption. He looked into cases involving powerful business leaders and even former presidents Park Geun-hye and Lee Myung-bak.

In 2019, President Moon Jae-in chose him to be the prosecutor general. However, Yoon and President Moon's government later had disagreements. These disagreements made him popular with people who opposed the government. He resigned in 2021 and decided to run for president.

Yoon joined the People Power Party and won the 2022 presidential election. The election was very close. As president, he focused on building stronger relationships with Japan and the United States.

His presidency faced challenges, including low approval ratings. In December 2024, he declared martial law, which is a temporary rule by the military. This caused a major political crisis. The National Assembly voted against it, and the order was lifted just hours later. This event led to his impeachment and removal from office by the Constitutional Court in April 2025.

Early Life and School Years

Yoon in 1976 at age 16

Yoon Suk Yeol was born in Seoul in 1960. His father was a professor of economics at Yonsei University, and his mother was a lecturer at Ewha Womans University.

He went to Chungam High School and then studied law at Seoul National University. In college, he took part in a mock trial, which is like a practice trial for students. In the mock trial, he acted as a prosecutor against the president at the time, Chun Doo-hwan.

Yoon was excused from military service because of a condition with his eyesight called anisometropia. This condition also made it difficult for him to get a driver's license. It took him nine years of trying before he passed the bar exam, which is the test to become a lawyer, in 1991.

Career as a Prosecutor

Yoon began his career as a prosecutor in 1994. Prosecutors are lawyers who work for the government to prove in court that someone has broken the law. He became known for investigating cases of corruption, which is when people in power use their position dishonestly.

Over the years, he led many important investigations.

• In 2013, he investigated the National Intelligence Service (NIS) for trying to influence an election. This led to him being moved to a less important job.
• In 2016, he was part of a special team that investigated a scandal involving President Park Geun-hye. This investigation led to her impeachment.
• In 2017, the new president, Moon Jae-in, made him the chief of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office. In this role, he continued to investigate powerful people, including two former presidents.

Prosecutor General

Yoon as Prosecutor General in 2019

In 2019, President Moon appointed Yoon as the prosecutor general, the highest-ranking prosecutor in the country. President Moon asked him to be fair and to investigate corruption no matter who was involved.

Soon after, Yoon's office began investigating Cho Kuk, a top official in President Moon's government. This caused a major disagreement between Yoon and the government. The Minister of Justice, Choo Mi-ae, took actions against prosecutors who were close to Yoon.

In 2020, the government suspended Yoon from his job. They said he had broken ethical rules. Yoon went to court, and a judge put a stop to the suspension. These conflicts with the government made many people see him as a possible candidate for president.

The 2022 Presidential Election

After resigning as prosecutor general in March 2021, Yoon announced he would run for president. He joined the main opposition party, the People Power Party (PPP), in July 2021.

Yoon Suk Yeol after joining the People Power Party on July 30, 2021

During his campaign, Yoon promised to lower regulations on businesses and create a fairer society. He also said he would take a strong position on issues of national security.

His campaign had some controversial moments. He made comments about the number of hours people should be allowed to work and about a former military leader that caused a lot of debate. He later apologized for some of his statements.

On November 5, 2021, Yoon won the PPP's nomination to be their candidate for president. The election was held on March 9, 2022. It was one of the closest elections in South Korean history. Yoon won with 48.56% of the vote, narrowly defeating his opponent, Lee Jae Myung.

Presidency (2022–2025)

Yoon Suk Yeol became president on May 10, 2022. One of his first decisions was to move the presidential office out of the traditional Blue House. He opened the Blue House to the public as a park and set up his office in the Ministry of National Defense building in Seoul.

Domestic Policies

As president, Yoon focused on several key areas inside the country.

• Economy: He believed in less government control over the economy. His government tried to lower taxes for businesses to encourage them to grow. He also wanted to be careful with government spending.
• Energy: Yoon's government reversed the previous plan to phase out nuclear power. He supported building new nuclear reactors to produce more electricity.
• Medical System: In 2024, his government announced a plan to increase the number of students in medical schools. They said this would help solve the shortage of doctors. However, many doctors and medical students went on strike to protest the plan.

Foreign Policy

Yoon at the 2023 NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania

Yoon worked to strengthen South Korea's relationships with other countries.

• United States: He focused on making the alliance with the U.S. stronger. In April 2023, he visited Washington, D.C., and gave a speech to the U.S. Congress.
• Japan: He tried to improve relations with Japan, which had been difficult because of historical issues. He met with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida several times. Some people in South Korea criticized his approach.
• North Korea: Yoon took a firm stance against North Korea's weapons programs. His government increased military cooperation with the U.S. and Japan.
• Ukraine: After Russia invaded Ukraine, South Korea provided humanitarian and financial aid. Yoon also suggested that South Korea might provide more support in the future.

Declaration of Martial Law

On December 3, 2024, President Yoon declared martial law. Martial law is when the military is given temporary control over the government. He said he was doing this to protect the country from what he called "anti-state forces."

This decision was very controversial and caused a crisis. The National Assembly, South Korea's parliament, immediately held a vote to oppose it. A few hours after he declared it, Yoon lifted the martial law order.

Leaving the Presidency

Speaker of the National Assembly Woo Won-shik signing the impeachment motion

The declaration of martial law led to large protests. Many people, including members of his own party, called for him to leave office.

On December 14, 2024, the National Assembly voted to impeach President Yoon. Impeachment is a process where lawmakers can remove a leader from their job. After the vote, his presidential powers were suspended. The Prime Minister, Han Duck-soo, took over his duties temporarily.

On April 4, 2025, the Constitutional Court made the final decision. The court agreed with the National Assembly and officially removed Yoon from the presidency.

Life After the Presidency

After leaving office, Yoon left the People Power Party in May 2025. He has since made some public appearances. Following the events that led to the end of his presidency, he has been part of several government investigations.

Personal Life

Yoon has been married to Kim Keon Hee since 2012. His wife prefers to be called the "president's spouse" instead of "first lady." Kim is the president of a company that organizes art shows.

Yoon is a Catholic and his baptismal name is Ambrose. He and his wife are known for having many pets, including several dogs and cats. During his presidency, a law was passed to stop the trade of dog meat in South Korea.

Electoral History

See also

In Spanish: Yoon Suk-yeol para niños